184 MISCELLANEA ENTOMOLOGICA, ETC. 



The species of pyrale moths of the genus Glyphodes, which 

 have been noted as attached to these trees, are four in number, 

 each having somewhat different habits. The largest of them is 

 Glyphodes cosmarcha, and its caterpillar attacks the young 

 terminal shoots, binding them firmly together with silken 

 threads ; feeding under cover of the external leaves, it devours 

 the interior developing leaves and does not even take the trouble 

 to cast out its own droppings. When about to pupate it deserts 

 its fouled nest, selects a couple of suitable leaves and binds them 

 together, leaving an opening for the escape of the moth, it 

 securely fixes itself with head towards this opening amongst a 

 skilful network of silken suspending threads. Glyphodes 

 luciferalis differs from the above, in that it selects two leaves for 

 its habitat and binds them together, feeding on the parenchyma 

 within ; this accounts for the ugly brownish patches so frequently 

 seen on the leaves of these trees. In pupating it differs 

 somewhat from G. cosmarcha, as it joins the leaves along the 

 margins, but also suspends itself in the same manner. Glyphodes 

 excelsalis is more fre(]uently to be found on the *black fig of the 

 creek sides, though it also occasionally attacks Ficus Australis ; it 

 usually lives in a web spun on the surface of the leaves, but in 

 pupating generally spins up between them for greater safety and 

 secures itself much as do the others. Both this species and the 

 following will largely attack the introduced edible fig. Finally, 

 Glyphodes tolumnialis attacks the ends of young leaves, curls 

 them over and binds them down with its silk threads and lives 

 within the shelter so formed ; it is a common, but very beautiful 

 species, and I have only found it on Ficus Australis and the 

 introduced edible fig; curiously, however, wheu attacking the 

 latter, it has much the same habits as G. excelsalis. As these 

 pyrale larvae are all of solitary habits, no particular damage is 

 done to the trees, whereas the caterpillar of another pyrale of 

 gregarious habits, Margarodes vertumnalis, attacks Alstonia 

 constricta and Ochroscia moorei, and sometimes completely 

 denudes them of leaves, to such an extent also have I seen them 

 upon the Alstonia that the grubs could not get enough food to 

 attain their full size, and the imagines have emerged not much 

 more than half the normal dimensions. 



In April last, my attention was drawn to certain wood- 

 boring larvae in the stems of Ficus Australis. The webs 

 covering up the openings were to be seen generally at the axils of 



* Ficus aspera 



